Sunday 20 November 2011

Please do not pick the wild flowers




On my latest visit to Tyneham I noticed this little sign.  At the time there were no wild flowers directly beneath but I know there is wild garlic, wild primroses, cowslip and milkwort in the surrounding area.
I thought about making my own flowers to place in the ground during my exhibition and the poppy was the flower that came to mind from the wonderful display that was in the church.
Being November and a time for remembrance the poppy has great significance and I began to look at the poem 'On Flanders Fields', where the poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War 1.

http://www.inflandersfields.be/#gedicht





In Flanders Fields - by John McCrae 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.





Sketching ideas







Hand-made organza poppies











Using photoshop to see what the poppies look like at Tyneham

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